In the conventional production of wheat flour by milling, a selected wheat blend is first subjected to cleaning prior to its actual grinding. Two to two and a half percent of moisture is added and a rest period from eight to twenty hours follows. Commercial wheat always contains small percentages of contaminating materials such as weed seeds, mixed cereals, dirt, etc. Various conventional methods and devices are used to affect removal of this foreign matter, such as magnetic separators to remove iron and steel objects. Once the wheat kernels have been cleaned and tempered, they are ready to be ground. The tempering process of the wheat is significant to the complete milling and baking procedure.
The cleaned and tempered wheat is subjected to a series of conventional grinding operations, in which the first five or six sets of rolls exert a crushing and shearing action. Known as the "break system" and designed primarily to bring about a far-reaching separation of the tough bran from the friable endosperm, this part of the grinding process is carried out on corrugated iron rolls, called "break rolls", which revolve in opposite directions at different speeds. Each successive set of rolls takes the stock from the preceding one, after proper separation, so that they operate serially rather than in parallel. Proceeding from the first to the fifth or sixth set of break rolls, the corrugations on the rolls become finer and the setting of the rolls progressively closer.
The crushed material, called "stock", passes after each break first to a sifter or bolter equipped with a series of inclined coarse sieves on top and progressively finer sieves, which are vibrated. Here the separation of the stock proceeds to three general classes of material according to size: the coarsest fragments, retained on the top sieves and conveyed subsequently to the second break; the medium sized granular particles primarily comprising endosperm and called the "middlings"; and the finest material passing through the fine silk bottom sieves and called "break flour".
The same process is repeated at subsequent breaks, yielding flour, middlings, and progressively smaller coarse particles. The stock going to each succeeding break contains less and less endosperm until after the fifth or sixth break the remaining material is largely composed of bran flakes.
After purification, the middlings collected from each of the earlier stages are gradually ground into flour between smooth rolls, called reduction rolls. This involves a series of reduction processes in which, as in the case of breaking, the smooth rolls are set progressively closer at each succeeding set of rolls. Each reduction subjects the middlings to a crushing and rubbing action which produces finer middlings and flour, and loosens the adhering bran flakes. Each resulting stock passes through a sifter which effects the separation of fine flour, reduced middlings and larger bran fragments. The remaining middlings are again graded according to size, purified, and conveyed to the succeeding reduction rolls. The reductions are repeated until ultimately most of the endosperm has been converted into flour, and the bran separated by the sifters.
These series of breaks and reductions give rise to many flour streams, which may number as many as 30 in modern mills. Thus, each break produces flour, such as first break flour, second break flour, etc., and each reduction, in turn, produces middlings and flours. These streams, being derived from different portions of the endosperm and varying in refinement, differ in protein content, ash content, purity (absence of branny material), etc. Beginning with the first separation of the most highly refined middlings, the flour contains progressively more branny and germ impurities at each successive reduction.
The general trends in average composition of different mill streams as they progress from the head to the tail of the mill are indicated by the data in the following table compiled by Geddes:
______________________________________ CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF CERTAIN MILL STREAMS AND BY-PRODUCTS OBTAINED IN WHEAT MILLING Total Total N Fat Fiber Ash Sugars Product Moisture % % % % % % ______________________________________ Wheat and mill products Wheat 10.3 2.05 2.1 -- 1.73 2.6 First patent flour 11.5 1.82 1.0 0.2 0.40 1.3 First clear flour 11.0 2.13 1.7 0.2 0.81 1.8 Second clear flour 10.4 2.33 2.0 0.3 1.34 2.1 Red dog 9.2 2.87 5.4 2.4 3.15 6.4 Bran 8.8 2.33 4.1 10.8 6.38 5.4 Shorts 8.9 2.47 5.2 8.4 4.10 6.0 Germ 8.5 4.84 11.9 1.8 4.80 15.1 Flour streams First break flour 11.8 1.91 1.1 0.2 0.66 1.4 Second break 11.3 1.99 1.4 0.1 0.56 1.3 flour Third break flour 11.5 2.08 1.4 0.1 0.49 1.4 Fourth break flour 11.2 2.29 2.2 0.1 0.64 1.5 Fifth break flour 11.0 2.35 2.6 0.1 1.03 1.6 First middlings 11.5 1.80 1.0 0.1 0.36 1.2 flour Third middlings 11.1 1.80 1.1 0.1 0.38 1.4 flour Fifth middlings 10.7 1.89 0.9 0.1 0.44 1.5 flour Seventh 11.1 1.96 1.4 0.1 0.65 2.5 middlings flour Ninth middlings 10.8 1.84 1.5 0.2 0.61 2.0 flour First tailings from 9.8 2.57 5.4 4.4 3.67 4.3 purifier ______________________________________
Depending upon which flour streams are combined to yield the final product, different commercial flour grades are obtained. If all the streams are combined, a "straight flour" is obtained. Frequently the more refined streams are kept separate and sold as "patent flours" while the remaining streams yield "clear flours". The most common types of commercial flours are "fancy patent", which contains 40 to 60 percent of straight flour and the rest patent flour; "short patent" with 60 to 80 percent; "medium patent", with 80 to 90 percent; and "long or standard patent" with 90 to 95 percent straight flour, and the rest patent flour.
In the conventional production of bakery goods from wheat flour, it is not possible to add large amounts of dietary minerals, or other edible materials, to the flour or dough since the weight of such minerals or other materials will cause the flour cell walls to collapse during the fermentation process so that despite the existence of leavening (usually yeast) the dough will not rise. That is the minerals take up space inside the cells caused by carbon dioxide production during the fermentation process and thus may cause effective "collapse" of the cells. While attempts have been made to increase the amount of dietary minerals by using chemical additives, such as calcium citrate, this can make the final product less desirable.
According to the present invention, a wheat flour, dough, and method of producing a wheat flour and dough, are provided which greatly increase the flexibility of the type of bakery goods that can be produced. The bakery goods produced according to the invention can be produced without any chemical additives (other than normal additives used in the milling and baking industry), and with an entirely natural and high quality taste and texture. The flour/dough according to the invention can retain at least 5% (e.g. 5-12%) by weight more free moisture than conventional flour/dough of similar type, e.g. between about 30-70% by weight (and any narrower range within that broad range) free moisture (that is added moisture, not inherent in the flour), and many times more dietary minerals. For example an additional about 2-20% by weight (and any narrower range within the broad range) dietary mineral (such as any one or more of calcium, folic acid, zinc, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, copper, selenium, and iron) may be provided. For instance, enough calcium can be added to the flour, with or without other minerals, to allow bread of normal (or even enhanced) taste and texture to be baked which provides about 50-200% of the RDA (for adults) of calcium per 32 gm slice, or per two slices (or other pieces) totaling 64 gm.
Another advantage according to the invention is that it effectively increases the capacity of the mill corresponding to the percentage of middlings removed.
According to one aspect of the present invention wheat flour is provided comprising or consisting essentially of about 50-95% straight flour, clear flour, break flour, and/or patent flour; and about 5-50% by weight wheat middlings. The flour may further comprise or consist essentially of an additional about 2-20% by weight dietary minerals, for example including about 2-11 % by weight calcium. The flour may also include (in dough form) at least 5% (e.g. 5-18%) more free moisture than conventionally, e.g. a total free moisture of about 60-70% (e.g. 61-68%) of the total weight of the dough [conventional hand made dough has a free moisture content of about 54-55%, while typical commercial machine made dough a free moisture content of up to about 60%].
The flour of the invention preferably comprises between about 15-45% by weight middlings, and most desirably between about 25-35% by weight middlings (e.g. about 30% middlings), mixed with straight flour, or any type of patent flour (e.g. between about 75-65% by weight straight or patent flour).
According to another aspect of the present invention a method of making a baked product is provided, comprising (or consisting essentially of): (a) Milling wheat with a (conventional) break system to produce break flour and middlings. (b) Milling at least some of the middlings from (a) with a (conventional) reduction system to produce clear and patent flour. (c) Adding about 50-95% by weight straight flour, break flour, clear flour, and/or patent flour from at least one of (a) and (b) to about 5-50% wheat middlings to produce a first flour. (d) Optionally adding an additional 2-20% dietary minerals and the like to the first flour. (e) Adding free moisture, baking ingredients, and leavening to the first flour to produce a dough. (f) Fermenting the dough so that the flour cells substantially do not collapse, so that the dough rises. And, (g) baking the dough to produce a bakery product. The baking ingredients added in (e) typically include sugar (in any form), salt, oil or lard, whey, and/or other conventional ingredients.
The method may be as described above wherein (d) is practiced to add an additional at least 2% by weight calcium to the flour. The method may also be as described above wherein (d) is practiced to add at least about 6% by weight total of at least two of the following: calcium, iron, zinc, iodine, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, fiber, chromium, copper, folic acid, and potassium. The method may also be as described above wherein (a) is practiced to separate out at least 5% of the middlings from the first and second breaks (only); and wherein the middlings separated out at the first and second breaks (only) are used in the practice of (c).
The method may also be as described above wherein (c) is practiced to produce a first flour having about 15-45% by weight middlings, and/or wherein (c) is practiced to produce a first flour having about 85-55% by weight straight flour, and/or wherein (e) is practiced to add an additional at least 30% by weight (e.g. 30-70%) free moisture. The method may also be as described above wherein (a)-(g) are practiced substantially without any emulsifier, calcium citrate, or equivalent chemical additives, and wherein (c) is practiced using middlings from (a), or from (a) and (b). Also, (d) through (g) may be practiced to produce substantially bubble-free pizza crust, or (d) through (g) may be practiced to produce bread having at least 50% of the RDA of calcium per 32 gm slice, or at least 100% for two 32 gm slices.
The invention also comprises bakery goods produced by any of the methods described above. For example, the bakery product may be bread having at least 50% (e.g. about 50-200%) of the RDA of calcium, and/or the other dietary minerals described above) per 32 gm slice; or the bakery product may be pizza crust (since bubbles do not typically form in the dough according to the invention; i.e. it is substantially bubble free), or pastries.
According to another aspect of the invention baked bread may be provided containing at least about 1000 (e.g. 1000-1300) mg calcium, 20 (e.g. 20-50) mg iron, and 1000 (e.g. 1000-1500) mg dietary fiber, each per 64 grams of bread (e.g. two thin slices).
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a new and highly advantageous flour, dough, bakery products made from the flour and dough, and method of producing the flour, dough, and bakery products according to the invention. This and other embodiments of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description, and from the appended claims.